Darkness before Dawn
by Yamikaru
Summary: More and more cats have been acting odd in BreezeClan, sneaking out of camp at night. Soon enough Whisperstar's past will come to haunt him; and his son Hailkit will be caught in the middle of the crossfire. A mysterious loner soon appears before Hailkit and his true loyality will be tested. Where does it lie? With his Clan... or somewhere else? (Rated T just incase)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello! You're free to skip this if you want to. However, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep reading~**

**This is my first fanfiction to be posted on here, so, I'm pretty nervous, I usually don't pull this card, but, English is my second language, just wanted to note that (Still, that does not excuse any spelling or grammar errors I make, I just wanted to point this out). I'd love to hear some feedback! **

**Now, onto the story! (Also, I'm sorry if any formating is off, again, my first time posting on here. :P)**

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Prologue

The whole forest was dark, its tall trees reaching high into the sky, staring down at anybody who dared to enter. The dark green leaves were rustling under the chilly breezes as a dark figure slung its way into the forest. Its paws gave a low thud as they landed on the ground. The figure, obviously male, raised his head. A long tail was whipping furiously behind him. He trekked forward, through the dark forest. He navigated through the forest easily, as if he had been in it his whole life. The dark shadows that were drawn through the trees didn't seem to even make him hesitate like it did to most. The breeze brought small whispers to the tom. A patrol was coming his way. His muscles  
tensed for a moment, and then he quickly climbed up a tree with graceful movements.

Amber eyes were narrowed into slits as a few cats soon emerged from the bushes. A beautiful silver tabby stepped forward first, her blue eyes scanning the area. The tom ducked lower, hoping that his scent would still be covered enough. He had rolled in some wet leaves before coming in here. A moment later he let out a breath that he hadn't realize he had been holding. These cats were still more mouse-brained than he had though.

The she-cat gave a small jerk of disappointment. " Nothin' here..." she murmured, sounding almost upset.

The white tom next to her gave a sharp sigh. "Silverpaw, it's good that nobody is here. I do not appreciate fights, so we should be glad that nobody has invaded our territory," he told her sternly. The tom shifted a bit on the branch, now seeing the white tom better. _It's him! _he angrily spat in his head. It took up all of his self-control to not lunge down and attempt to slice his throat. Just seeing his sleek white pelt, black chest and tail tip, and the unusually long and fluffy tail made his insides churn with furry. Everything had been his fault! His alone! He sunk his claws into the bark and bared his teeth into a silent snarl, but otherwise remained quiet.

The silver tabby seemed to reel back in surprise, like she had been struck. "S-sorry, Whisperstar!" she stammered, obviously expecting her leader to agree with her.

Whisperstar suddenly stiffened, and then his head shot around to glance up into the tree the other tom was hiding it.

The tom crouched even lower, now almost sprawled out on the thick oak branch. Not now, it wasn't time just yet to be seen.

A pretty black she-cat stepped forward to Whisperstar, her bushy tail swaying behind her. "Whisperstar? What's wrong?" Her voice was gentle and pleasant to the ear. Whisperstar turned his broad head back to the others. "Nothing. I just thought I had seen something. I must have been  
wrong."

The she-cat gave a petite nod. "I understand. Whisperstar, what about we return back to camp? I can see you shuffling around; you must be worried about Hailkit, now that Flowerpetal is dead..." Her eyes seemed to dull for a moment upon mentioning Flowerpetal's name.

The white tom seemingly stiffened, his paws planted firmly on the ground. "Yes," he started in a small, quiet voice, eyes closed. "I do worry about Hailkit, after all..." He trailed off, never ending the sentence. No cat on the patrol, beside Silverpaw, looked confused.

_And whose fault was it to begin with? Yours, Whisperstar, all yours! _

The tom on the branch let out an inaudible growl, baring his teeth.

Gently nodding, the she-cat touched his shoulder with her delicate, small pink nose. "Let's go back to camp. There's nobody here anyways."

Whisperstar gave a stiff nod, eyes trailing through the trees cautiously for another second. Then he turned away. "Yes. Let's go back." His voice changed into a softer tone and he added, "You're the best deputy a Clan leader could wish for, Nightflower."

Said deputy smiled softly at him as she followed the others towards the bushes. "Thank you, Whisperstar."

After the last of the black tail had disappeared, the tom propelled himself down, finally letting out the snarl he had been holding back.

"Everything is your fault, Whisperstar. Everything!" he firmly repeated to himself, long and curved claws hooking themselves into the brown  
soil. "Soon you and everybody else will pay for what they did. BreezeClan will perish!"

The tom's fur was bristling now, and he crouched, swiping with his right forepaw at seemingly no one. But he was imaging Whisperstar and the other  
traitors. He relished in the feeling of ripping them apart and imaged the crimson blood splay his paws, tinting his fur red. As soon as the crazed haze had hit him, it disappeared.

With a slight bounce he followed the scent trail left by the patrol, cringing his nose because he had to walk in Whisperstar's scent. The trees subdued a bit, more open moorland coming into view. Soon he emerged on a hill. There, below him, laid a camp sheltered by bushes, and an occasional tree draped around it. A devilish smirk covered his face and his amber eyes lit up with joy. Finally he stepped out into the moonlight, revealing his form. He was long-legged, had black and white fur and a tail that was exactly as long and bushy as Whisperstar's. Slandered amber eyes stared down at the camp and he crouched down. "Let's look closer, neh?"

As if he were flying on the wind he sprinted down the hill, towards the camp. Slowly he skidded to a halt, leaving the fallen leaves behind him to whip up into the sky in a fury. He gave a soft glance over his shoulder, but quickly glanced at the camp again. His gaze wandered to an old, withered oak tree, its branches reaching just a bit into the camp. A smirk slid onto his face again and quickly he hooked his claws into the tree's stark brownish gray bark. With an enormous heave, he quickly started climbing. His paws reached a sturdy branch, one of the last ones the tree held, it seemed like. Quickly he heaved himself onto it, then crouched and silently stalked forward, a shiver of excitement running through him. He was so close to their camp without them noticing, it really was exciting, and his blood was roaring in his ears, too.

He glanced down, his amber eyes glowing in the dark. Slowly he crouched forward, towards the end of the branch. He carefully leaned down again. The tom wasn't able to make out much, but he knew that he was in there. The nursery was just below him. He smirked, eyes seemingly crazed again. "Neh, Hailkit," he whispered down into the camp quietly, flexing his claws. "I hope we can meet soon. I'll show you just how wrong our father is. You won't turn out like him; I'll make sure of that."

His gaze travelled towards an entrance to a hollow in a large tree. "Whisperstar, you choose your own downfall when you did what you did. She died. It's your fault if I take my revenge. And just maybe, I'm doing you a favor too; after all, you'll see her again. However, I'm pretty sure she's not on good terms with you. I'd watch my back, because one day you'll be crowfood." He let out a small, but breathy laugh and turned on his heel, climbing down from the tree and dashing back into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Well, it seems like the spacing on the prologue was off after all. Oh well, I should've fixed it now. Here's chapter 1~ Again, I'd love to hear some feedback! (Haha, I hope the spacing is right this )**

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Chapter 1

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"Hailkit!"

Hailkit groggily raised his head, trying to make out where the noise came from. Just a moment later a body tackled him, making them both roll over, startled. Hailkit sat up with wide eyes, peering at the small white and gray she-cat, Willowkit, who was currently busy removing some of the moss stuck to her fur. The air was pretty tense around them as their eyes locked. Amber met icy blue as sparks seemed to fly. Hailkit's fluffy white fur was sticking up everywhere. He was a white tom with a black chest and tail tip. Just like his father his tail was unusually long and fluffy.

Willowkit peeled another tuff of the greenish moss out of her long coat.  
"Hailkiiiiit!" she complained, spitting out some more bedding. "Why didn't you react! Apologize for making my fur all ruffled!" she whined, but narrowed her eyes.  
"I was asleep you fox-brain!" Hailkit retorted, lashing his tail angrily. It was HER fault, not his! Why should he apologize in the first place? She was just so spoiled by her mother! HE knew the hardship of growing up without a mother, not she.

Willowkit let out a high-pitched hiss, opening her small mouth to reply. But before she could, another voice interrupted them.

"Kits. Do stop fighting now," a baritone voice said calmly and an elderly tom pushed his way into the nursery.

Willowkit brightened up instantly and dashed towards the older tom. "Smokefeather!" She cried gleefully, but swiped Hailkit over the nose with her tail while doing so.  
Hailkit growled, but quickly stifled it.

He did not want to go against Smokefeather's words, he respected the older cat a lot. Smokefeather was a plump, elderly dark gray tom with lighter spots and kind blue eyes. He was blind in his left eye; a scar ran over it, he had told them before that it was from a fight with a fox while he was still a warrior. The old tom was the Clan's medicine cat and had been looking for a new apprentice for a while now.

Willowkit smiled at the tom brightly, acting as if she hadn't just hissed at Hailkit. "Can I help you sort the herbs again today?" she asked friendly, leaning forward eagerly; her ears were perked.

Smokefeather gave a nod, smiling slightly. "Of course, dear!" He peered over at Hailkit and cleared his throat. "What I came here for was something different though. I have spoken with Whisperstar and he has agreed that you two can come collect herbs with me, if you'd like that."

Hailkit was all ears now, and, even before Willowkit could reply, he bounced forward. _A chance to leave the camp!_ "Of course! Leaving the camp would be great!"

Willowkit cocked her head to the side as she gazed at the older tom, her amber eyes curious. "Is anybody coming with us?"

Hailkit stilled and blinked owlishly, his mood ruined by the thought. _That's right, if somebody does come with us it won't be as much fun..._ he thought with a scowl.  
Smokefeather gave a chuckle and smiled. "No. I know how much you two would dislike that."

Brightening up, Willowkit let out a giggle and smiled. "Yay!" she squealed in delight and moved forward, towards the entrance. Hailkit felt a smile twitch its way onto his face again and he strode after her, chin and tail held high. The nursery and most of the other dens were in a cluster of bushes. Hailkit stopped for a moment in a patch of sunlight where the sun had managed to get through the thick bush. The sun's heat felt pleasant and warm; Hailkit let a purr rumble in the back of his throat.

Often the warriors were talking about him behind his and Whisperstar's back. Of course they were trying to not let them hear; but he did. Usually they just complained about his bad moods; often Hailkit's good moods could change to an angry or just plain bad one in a matter of seconds. But he knew that there was nothing wrong with him. The only reason why we could quickly turn sour around specific warriors was because he didn't trust them. He had seen them sneaking out of camp at night before - and that just screamed suspicious to him. As for Willowkit... she was just too annoying for her own good. However, a voice in the back of his mind was already nagging him again, telling him that he liked her.

He let out an almost amused snort and lowered his eyes, looking away from the ceiling again. Noticing that Willowkit was shuffling around impatiently, most likely she'd be snapping at him if they were alone now, and Smokefeather who was smiling kindly while waiting, he quickly stumbled over to them almost losing his footing in the progress.

"S-sorry!" he apologized sheepishly.  
Smokefeather shook his head in amusement. "It is quite alright, let's go you two." The old medicine cat turned around and slowly strode away. Willowkit and Hailkit glanced at each other before running after him, trying to push the other away.

As they ran through the camp, Hailkit could easily spot his father, Whisperstar, talking to Sparrowleap, a young sandy-brown tom with leafy green eyes. They were talking in hushed whispers, so Hailkit couldn't pick up what they were saying, but they seemed to be worried.

Willowkit, who had follow his gaze, spoke up softly after they had left the camp behind Smokefeather. "What do you think they were talking about? They seemed deeply troubled..." Her eyes were large as she stared at him, sparkling with curiosity.

Hailkit gave a small shrug of his shoulders as he trekked up the hill after Smokefeather; the higher grass was tickling him slightly. He tried to look indifferent about it, but was sure as he turned to face Willowkit that his curiosity was showing as well. "I don't know," he stated simply, watching Smokefeather's tail swish back and forth in front of them. "But we might find out soon enough. Who knows."

Willowkit gave a small nod in his direction before she bounced forward to walk beside Smokefeather. "What will we be searching for?" she drawled, smiling.  
Hailkit gave a little burst of speed, now also walking beside Smokefeather.

The old tom cleared his throat. "We're searching for goldenrod. My stock is low on them, after that we can go look for poppy seeds, too."

Willowkit nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds great!" she replied happily and dashed forward. "Where can we find the goldenrod?"

Before she could run further away from the two toms, Smokefeather quickly called out to her. "Willowkit, wait up! Do not wander too far."

Willowkit jerked back around mid-step and quickly jumped over to them again, her fur bouncing a bit while doing so.  
As soon as they reached the first trees Hailkit gazed around in amazement. The leaves above them were red, yellow, orange, and much more. His eyes sparkled, but so did Willowkit's. the two kits couldn't snap their gazes away from the beautiful leaves on the tall trees looming above them.

Smokefeather's deep voice snapped them out of their haze. He was grinning at them. "The forest is nice at leaf-fall, isn't it. Although, soon the trees will all have lost their leaves, then leaf-bare arrives." He gave a happy laugh and beckoned with his tail. "Somewhere around here is goldenrod. Who can find it first?"

Willowkit gave a jerk of her head, chin held high. "I will, of course!"

Hailkit gave her a shove, stepping forward. "No! _I_ will!"

Before the two kits could get into another argument, Smokefeather let his voice boom through the forest. "Well then, we'll see. Ready, set, GO!"

Hailkit sprinted towards the left bushes, while Willowkit clumsily dashed down a small slope. Ignoring Willowkit from now on, Hailkit pushed deeper through the bushes, sniffing over the ground carefully. All different scents attacked him and he chocked, quickly forgetting the idea of scenting it. No, he'd just go look for it. As he ripped himself free of the next bush he had gotten stuck in he froze. This smell... it was stronger than what he had smelled before, making him cringe. It had a very sharp smell to it, just like the smell when a thorn had been removed from his paw and it was... bleeding.

Hailkit's eyes widened in shock and he bolted through the next bush, not caring if any of his fur got ripped off in the progress.

As he emerged he came face to face with a black she-cat, Nightflower. He tripped to a halt and let out a shrill scream that echoed through the forest. He chocked, jaws parted into another silent scream. It was Nightflower, yes, but her eyes were glazed over, looming up at the sky and her throat was graced by three clean claw cuts. Blood was already pooling under the wound, from the looks of it she had been lying there for a while...


End file.
